Tennis tips from the top

Feeling inspired by Wimbledon? H&F’s Emma Lewis caught up with Serena Williams’ coach Patrick Mouratoglou and Mixed Doubles champ Martina Hingis on court, to let you in on the hottest tips so you can hit the court with confidence.

Patrick Mouratoglou, Serena Williams’ coach and owner of Mouratoglou Tennis Academy near Cannes in the south of France (mouratoglou.com) has these tactic tips:

Think about hitting your balls higher over the net – use topspin (brush the ball with an upwards motion as you hit your shot) to help keep the ball in the court, as using topspin helps it dip back down.

Keep hitting the ball cross-court (ie diagonally) most of the time, as this gives you the biggest space in which to hit the ball.

Try to make your opponent move east to west and north to south within the court when you get the chance.

If you try to control the ball too much, it’s the best way to miss; but you can point your non-racquet hand to where you want the ball to go and hit the ball in that direction.

Don’t forget your sunglasses if you’re playing in the sun – they’ll keep your eyes more comfortable and less tired and lift the quality of your view.